FiiO QX11 Review: The Swiss Army Knife Dongle for Music and Games

 

General / Packaging / Build
The QX11 is FiiO's newest USB DAC/amp dongle, and it sits at the top of their dongle range now. It is not your typical music-only dongle though. FiiO calls it a HiFi DAC/amp and a gaming sound card in one.

Inside are dual ESS ES9069Q DACs and an all-TI analog stage. Two OPA1692 op-amps handle voltage gain, and four OPA1622 run in parallel for the headphone output. It decodes up to 768kHz/32-bit PCM and native DSD512 in HiFi mode.

The body is aluminium alloy with a gradient finish, in Dark Green or Vintage Gold. It measures about 64 x 28.8 x 13mm and weighs roughly 36g. Small enough to live on the back of a phone. There is a 1.14-inch colour LCD on it as well, and the interface changes depending on whether you are in HiFi or Gaming mode. Two USB-C ports. One for data, one dedicated for power. Outputs are 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced.

In the box:

• USB-C to USB-C data cable

• Protective case

• Quick start guide

• Warranty card

Specifications

• Dual ESS ES9069Q DACs, fully TI analog stage (2x OPA1692, 4x OPA1622)

• PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit, native DSD512 (HiFi mode)

• HiFi and Gaming modes, Gaming mode at 48kHz/16-bit

• Outputs: 3.5mm single-ended, 4.4mm balanced

• Desktop Mode: up to 800mW + 800mW balanced at 32 ohms, 295mW + 295mW single-ended

• Dual USB-C, up to 45W PD charging pass-through

• Built-in mic, 3.5mm in-line mic support, AI ENC noise reduction

• 1.14-inch colour LCD

• FiiO Control app with PEQ, Auto EQ, gain and digital filter

• S/PDIF output via the 3.5mm jack (up to 96kHz/24-bit)

• About 64 x 28.8 x 13mm, roughly 36g

Gears Used for This Review

• Fiio KA17

• xDuoo Link3

• FiiO QX11

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone's ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far.

Sound Impression
The QX11 has been through approximately 30-40 hours on my burn-in rig before any serious listening. Nothing dramatic changed. The treble settled slightly and sounds a touch more refined, that's about it.

Tonality first. This is not the analytical tuning. It is fun sounding. Detail is there when the recording asks for it, but the QX11 doesn't shove every micro detail in your face just to prove a point. Call it funalytical, with the fun side leading. And the noise floor is pitch black.

• Bass: Reaches deep and stays controlled. There is a slight firmness through the midbass and lower bass, a tinge of extra foundation, but it is a small touch and not a boost. Speed, texture and weight are balanced well. Daft Punk gets a solid base with enough grip to hold the track together. And it doesn't bleed into the mids at all.

• Mids: Clear and well judged. Male vocals carry good chesty weight, and Zhao Peng sounds properly grounded. Faye Wong stays clear and present, with the artist a few steps in front of me. Not too far away like it's coming from a wall. It doesn't spotlight every bit of microcontrast either, so tracks stay musical.

• Treble: Good extension, clean attack and decay, without added glare. It is not softened into blandness and not sharpened to fake detail. The finest upper harmonics are a bit simplified, to my ears, and Hans Zimmer's Why So Serious is where you notice it. The layering is there, just not as fine as on higher-end dongles. Purely nitpicking for the asking price.

• Soundstage / Imaging: Spacious, and instrument placement is the highlight. To my ears it stages out of head and not in your head, with a fairly wide sense of space. Placement carries over to gaming, which I get to below.

Pairings and Use Cases
Fosi Audio i5 (Desktop Mode): Power output is quite high with Desktop Mode enabled. Plug a power bank or adapter into the dedicated USB-C port and the QX11 stops drawing from the source, and the balanced output goes up to 800mW + 800mW at 32 ohms (FiiO's figure, take it with a pinch of salt). The 3.5mm single-ended goes up to 295mW + 295mW. That is sufficient to push efficient planars such as the Fosi Audio i5 with no problem. The extra current headroom is the mechanism here. The planar gets proper drive, so it stays in control instead of sounding thin.

Gaming Mode: Works well. I tested it with several games: Warframe, Roblox and Counter-Strike 2. Directional audio and footstep positioning are good, and that is where the wide staging helps. But it also depends on your IEM or headphone's tuning. A headphone with poor imaging will not magically become a competitive tool. FiiO also includes tuned profiles for FPS, ACT, MOBA and rhythm games.

Built-in Microphone: Works fine for game chat. There is AI ENC noise reduction for voice pickup, and it also supports a headset mic via the 3.5mm in-line connection. One catch. If the dongle is positioned far away from you, it has a little difficulty picking up your voice. Keep it close and it is fine.

FiiO Control App: Compatible with FiiO's app. You can apply PEQ, adjust the gain and change the digital filter. FiiO also has Auto EQ that matches a headphone's frequency response curve, if you like that kind of thing. I kept all EQ off for the impressions above.

Fast Charging Pass-through: Works fine. The power port supports up to 45W PD, so your phone or player gets charged while you listen. Handy for long gaming sessions.

Driveability wise, any efficient IEM will be fine on the QX11 in standard mode. Turn on Desktop Mode with external power and it gets a lot more headroom for a slightly more demanding headphone/IEM

Comparison
FiiO KA17: Build and ergonomics first. Both are compact, but the QX11 adds the screen, the dedicated power port and the mic. The KA17 has none of the gaming and mic features. On sound, they are quite close to my ears. The QX11 feels a little more relaxed and a little less monitor-like, and that suits my fun sounding preference. Soundstage and bass control are similar. Treble is slightly more forward in the KA17 compared to QX11. The bigger difference is everything around the sound. Desktop Mode, the mic and Gaming Mode make the QX11 useful in more situations. For the same kind of sound, I would personally go for the QX11.

Final Thoughts
I expected the QX11 to be just another dongle with a longer feature list. It isn't. The tuning is fun and not analytical, the noise floor is pitch black, and the desktop mode has enough power to drive efficient planars like the Fosi Audio i5. Gaming Mode does its job in Warframe, Roblox and Counter-Strike 2, though your headphone's own tuning still decides how good the positioning gets. The mic is fine as long as the dongle is close to you. The app gives you PEQ, gain and digital filter, and the fast charging pass-through just works.

Flaws are small. Treble layering is a step behind pricier dongles, It does everything right for the asking price. Recommended? Yes, the QX11 is an easy pick.

The FiiO QX11 was sent over by FiiO for the purpose of this review. Big thanks to the FiiO team for the support and opportunity as always.

Head over to their store if you are interested in getting a pair:

Fiio QX 11 AliExpress Store - Non Affiliated